The historical sketch and results of a survey of death practices in Kentucky are strikingly at variance with the death literature. Whereas the literature argues that death is a hidden phenomenon in western society, evidence was found in this study that openness in the presence of death is the rule rather than the exception. Although several statistically significant differences in death visibility were found when Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions were compared, the similarities found between regions were even more noteworthy. The findings are discussed in relation to the evolution of death practices in a modernizing society.
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